Cooking With Babbo And Nonna.

They say that cooking is the new rock 'n' roll, making household names of the TV chefs, while also making them richer than they ever thought possible! I say it's just knocking up a bit of dinner.

But having said this, you should never under estimate the power of a good meal, cooked with time and love. I learned from an early age how to cook. I spent time with my Nonna, cooking in her tiny little kitchen. Even though the kitchen was small, it had Tardis-like qualities and concealed a myriad of cooking utensils and food ingredients.

Nonna was a tiny little Italian lady who was quiet, patient, and loving, but could erupt like the roaring fires of Vesuvius if you messed with her family. Her food was that of all the Italian peasants of Caserta and the surrounding region. But she could make a humble tomato and a few herbs taste like ambrosia itself.

She was born in 1899 to a mother who was very scary. My great-grandmother's temper was legendary, as anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross her soon found out. But, like my Nonna, she was a pussycat around the family (unless and until they stepped out of line). She herself had an Italian father and a French mother, so she introduced an element of French cuisine to our food.

What these remarkable ladies did was to show the family just how important it is to eat together. Their food was basic, but very nutritious and very tasty. It wasn't rock n roll, it was about the three 'Fs'  - Family, Friends and Food. It was about being able to sit and chat, to eat and laugh, all in the knowledge that everyone sitting around the table cared about all the other diners.

Now that my own hair has turned the colour of the winter snow, I am now a Babbo to my beautiful little granddaughter, Harleigh, and my wife is now a Nonna in her own right. I have carried on the family tradition of cooking for my loved ones and sitting and taking time to talk. Little Harleigh, just like her Papa before her, loves to stand in the kitchen with me and cook and chat.

So that is what this blog is about. It's about love and food and the love of good food. Lots of the recipes are basic Italian fare with lots of my own recipes thrown in. It's about anecdotes of my life and my Nonna's life. Don't expect exact measures, as we believe that it's important to cook the food the way you like it. I will tell you how I cook it, then it's up to you to change it to your taste.

So to start things off I thought that I would tell you how to cook a basic Italian sauce. This sauce is what you are supposed to put on pizzas. And what the so-called "Italian chicken" should have poured over it. We make it in large quantities and keep it in jars, to spoon out as we cook, but I will tell you how to make a small batch to try first and then alter to your taste. It is easy-peasy!

You need:

1 Red onion, finely diced.

1 Tin of chopped tomatoes.

The juice of half a lemon. 

1 teaspoon of sugar.

1 clove of garlic, crushed.

3 or 4 leaves of fresh Basil, ripped into small pieces.

Cook the diced onion and garlic in olive oil in a pan on a low heat until they go translucent. Then just add the rest of the ingredients except for the Basil. Stir, then cover the pan and cook on a low heat for about 15/20 minutes. Then add the Basil and cook for another few more minutes. That's it! Told you, easy peasy. You can use this sauce for all sorts of different dishes, you can even add white wine to it if you wish.

Next time, I will tell you a few dishes to cook with this sauce: until then, buon appetito!